A Guide To Teaching Your Teen About Skin Care

By the time children reach the teenage years, it’s expected that they will start to put more care into their appearance. This is why apart from teaching good personal hygiene habits, sharing knowledge with your child about skincare is a must, especially once you see signs of oily skin or breakouts. Oily skin is a common skin condition among many Filipinos, and according to the Philippine Dermatological Society, children as young as 10 years old can be affected by acne, and new evidence says that a diet high in sugars or carbohydrates may worsen this skin condition. If your teen needs help caring for his or her skin, the first thing that you have to do is to help your child establish a skincare routine to keep skin clear and healthy. Here’s a guide to teaching your teenager about skin care.

Be a role model

Teens tend to observe their parents while they go about their skincare routine. Make it a point to demonstrate good skincare habits such as eating healthfully, getting enough sleep, and doing a skincare regimen every day. You can demonstrate the correct way to get rid of blackheads, how to wash one’s face in the morning and at night, or how to use moisturizer. It’s also a good idea not to despair about your own skin problems if you have them—this lets your teen know that anyone can have skin problems and that there are ways to deal with them effectively.

Shop for skin care products together

Shopping for skincare products together enables your teen to learn how to read labels and understand cosmetic and skincare ingredients. Whether you’re in a drugstore, grocery, or department store, it’s important to teach your child how to be discerning when choosing skincare products as the sheer amount of tubes, bottles, and jars lining the shelves of the skincare section can be overwhelming. Let your teen know that just because a product is expensive or has great reviews online doesn’t mean that it will be better for the skin.

Keep it simple

Your teenager may be tempted to try a 10-step Korean skincare routine, but at this age, it’s better to keep things as simple as possible. Your teenager should have a facial cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and sunscreen to start with. If your teen has oily or acne-prone skin, pick a cleanser with salicylic acid and add a spot treatment gel to his or her skincare regimen. Any toner that you pick should never strip the skin of moisture, so a hydrating formula may be better to keep your teen’s skin healthy. Pick a gel-type moisturizer as this absorbs easily and feels light and cool on the skin. As for sunscreen, go for one with an SPF of at least 15.

Teaching your teen about skin care can be one of the best things that you can do as it builds confidence and promotes healthy habits. If you or your teen needs some extra help, enlist the help of a professional and make it a point to visit a dermatologist.